Equal Pay Day is coming up this week on March 26, 2026. This faux holiday marks how far into the calendar year women must work in order to match men’s earnings from the previous year. This year, women are making an average of 81% of what a man makes.

However, this statistic is faulty. It is based on the average earnings for men and women without taking into account the differences that impact pay. One of these differences is industry and occupation. Differences in occupation and industry can account for a large part of the gender pay gap. In fact, Forbes finds that women who work as physical and social science technicians earn only 2% less than men. This does not take into account any other differences, but it shows how big an impact occupation can make in pay gaps.

6 Industries Dominated by Women

While some industries are dominated by men, such as construction and manufacturing, there are several industries where women make up more than half of all employees. These industries are: 

  • Private Education and Health Services (76.6%)
  • Government (58.7%)
  • Financial Activities (54.6%)
  • Other Services (54%)
  • Private Service Providing (53.4%)
  • Leisure and Hospitality (52.5%)

Women’s presence in these industries truly makes a difference in the wage gap. With the exception of Financial Activities and Government, the remaining four industries dominated by women have lower weekly earnings than the average across all private industries of $1,082. Although there are certainly women in these industries who earn more, the average weekly earnings in these specific industries are lower than the average weekly earnings across all industries.

Women are choosing these industries not because they are the most high-paying, but because they often work better for their families or give a higher overall satisfaction in life. For example, the occupations in these industries with the largest share of women are:

  • Preschool and kindergarten teachers
  • Childcare workers
  • Executive secretaries
  • Medical and dental assistants
  • Hairdressers and cosmetologists
  • Veterinary technicians 

These are not high-paying jobs, but women are self-selecting into these specific occupations for other reasons, such as flexibility to raise families, interest, fulfillment, or a sense of helping one’s community. 

In much of the discourse surrounding the gender wage gap and the statistics of average pay, what is often missing is the acknowledgement that women have the autonomy to choose high-paying jobs, and many do not. 

Bottom Line

The answer to the pay gap is not making all wages equal. Instead, we can focus on making sure women are legally protected in the workplace, have more opportunities if they do choose a higher-paying industry, and champion policies that make it possible to pursue career success and build a family.